Tuesday, October 28, 2014

As a member of Amazon Vine, I'm able to review books through them, but--as I understand the terms--I'm only allowed to post my review on Amazon. Because I liked this book, I'm posting a description of the book here with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Following an attack that killed her mother and destroyed her future as a gymnast, 21-year-old Sophia Montgomery struggles through her grief and confusion over the attack. Detective Julian Frazier is working hard on the case, but his undeniable attraction to Sophia isn’t helping. Little do they know, the clues to solving the case may be right in front of them, displayed in Sophia’s mother’s “special” quilt design. Who will realize the secret that's been hiding in plain sight?

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
After the recent death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, thirty-something Eden Elliott is seriously in need of a fresh start. At the urging of her best friend, Eden decides to embark on an open-ended trip to the picturesque village of Glenkillen in the Scottish Highlands to do some hands-on research for her romance novel. But as soon as Eden arrives in the quaint town, she gets caught up in a very real drama…

The town’s sheep shearer is found murdered and the locals suspect Vicki MacBride, an outsider whose father’s recent death left her the surprise heir to his lucrative sheep farm. Eden refuses to believe the affable heiress is a murderer, but can she prove that someone is out to frame her new friend?

My Review:Off Kilter is a cozy mystery set in Scotland. The author wove vivid descriptions of the landscape and local foods into the story which gave it the feel of a travelogue.

The mystery was clue-based, but there weren't many clues. There were enough suspects who could fit those clues that I wasn't certain of whodunit, but my "increasingly likely" guess did turn out to be correct. Only the main character, her two love interests, and a volunteer cop were developed much in terms of personality and background. However, the characters did act realistically to the various events and the "good guy" characters were generally likable.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Joy Talley is determined to stop living in the past, but the first step she takes in that direction ends up nearly killing her. In an attempt to remove the last physical evidence of a traumatic past experience from it's hiding place, she falls and ends up in a coma. She is surprised that she can hear people while in her coma, and she's angry that people think she was trying to commit suicide. But they all realize it's a miracle she survived, and she finally wakes up in a spectacular fashion. Will the misunderstandings and pain of the past prevent her from forgiving wrongs and exposing her secret so she can finally find healing?

My Review:Waking Up Joy is a Christian general fiction novel. The first part of the book was spent with Joy in a coma overhearing things, and it had a slightly comedic feel. We know that something traumatic happened in the past, but we're not told what it is even when the heroine is thinking about it. I don't like it when an author does this as the "big secret" never lives up to all the mystery and it'd make more of an emotional impact if we knew what she was struggling with.

Yet, in a way, it worked in this case. We get clues about what happened, and it was very traumatic. The event happened when she was a teenager and so seemed even bigger to her. Part of the story was her learning that she's not alone in having secrets or a bad past, and she doesn't need to live bound by one traumatic hour.

Joy and the boy who was traumatized along with her act realistically and have a good depth to them. But I felt distant from them rather than highly empathetic because the events that motivated all of their actions were hidden from the reader. Most of the other characters were the comic relief and had very little character development.

A side theme of the story was Joy and her family learning to let go of a heritage that believed in magic trees and charms in addition to God as they realized that it was God doing the miracles to free them from the past. (They still believe that their dead father visits them, though.)

There were no graphic sex scenes though a vaguely described rape does occur in one scene. The was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, if you're okay with stories about traumatic pasts that are the main focus and yet not openly addressed for much of the book, then you'll probably like this book.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Judge Antoine Verlaque and his girlfriend, law professor Marine Bonnet, are hoping to enjoy a relaxing holiday at the Locanda Sordou, an opulent hotel that is reopening after decades. They start to make friends with the other guests and enjoy the food, the sea, and having sex. When a guest ends up dead, Verlaque feels he's getting soft--he can't see any of his new friends as murderers, yet the rough sea that day makes an outsider as murderer nearly impossible.

My Review:Murder on the Île Sordou is a literary travelogue that happens to contain a mystery. It's the fourth book in the series. You don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

Nearly the whole first half of the book was a description of the vacation and the food. We're given a chunk of background on each character on the island for character development. Even after the murder happens, the story centered around the character's lives and the food.

While there was a subtle hint about whodunit, other subtle hints pointed at other characters. There were some actual clues about the motive which made it easier to guess than whodunit. Even when the Judge felt that he knew whodunit, exactly who he suspected is kept from the reader until we all know whodunit. The book is more for people who love character development and fine food and wine than for mystery-solvers.

There was a sex scene that covered 2-3 pages. There was some bad language, though most of that was in French.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Book Description from Back Cover:
For three years, Kate Marshall has been grieving the loss of her husband and their four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a familiar-looking child on an escalator in the mall, she is convinced it is the son she thought was dead.

With police skeptical of her story, she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan. The former Secret Service agent is dubious but agrees to investigate. Digging into the case he discovers that the incident may have been no accident at all. But if Kate's son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden--and may be willing to go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret.

My Review:Deceived is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the third book in a series, but you don't need to read the first two novels to understand this one. This novel did not spoil the storyline of the previous novels.

The characters were likable, realistic, and fairly well-developed. The suspense was more based on a "will the suspected-kidnapper realize he's being investigated and run before they can discover if it really is her son" tension than an ongoing threat of danger. Much of the suspense was relationship-based: will the kidnapper's girlfriend put up with his sudden odd moods and help him? How will the boy react to losing a father he loves? And so on. I liked the realistic portrayal of relationship tensions.

The Christian element was mostly in how the characters treated people and acted rather than by talking about God. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable and intriguing novel.

If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

About Me

My name is Debbie. I'm a single female in my thirties. I have three book review blogs: one for well-written, clean fiction; one for nonfiction (memoirs, history, military, religion, and social issues); and a book club for Christian nonfiction.

My other review blogs

Why this blog?

I like to read, but it can be hard to find clean mainstream fiction anymore. Hopefully this blog will help others who have similar reading tastes to find clean novels to read.

In my reviews, I try to point out elements that I think readers may wish to know which might influence their decision to read a book. I'm not trying to convince people not to read a book as I'm fully aware that some things which bother me won't bother others at all. So if a book sounds fun to you, certainly give it a try!

Disclosure StatementI'm not paid to review books. I do receive free review copies from publishers, authors, etc., but I also review books I've bought or checked out of the library. I review all books by the same standard, no matter the source. My readers are assuming I am, and the publishers expect it.